Under Threat: Journalism and Democracy in South Asia

A conversation between Samanth Subramanian and Sushant Singh on the state of journalistic institutions in the region. Learn about the continuing
crisis of severe government-imposed restrictions on independent media and the potential indication of a worsening democratic backsliding in South Asia.

Samanth Subramanian writes for the Guardian, the New York Times Magazine, WIRED, and the New Yorker. His second book, “This Divided Island: Stories from the Sri Lankan War,” was shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for non-fiction. His most recent book, “A Dominant Character: The Radical Science and Restless Politics of JBS Haldane,” was one of the New York Times’ 100 Notable Books of 2020. He lives in London.

Sushant Singh is a lecturer at Yale University and a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research in India. He was the deputy editor of the Indian Express, reporting on strategic affairs, national security, and international affairs, and previously served in the Indian army for two decades. A writer-journalist, he is the founder of The India Cable and his byline has recently appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Hindu and The Caravan, among other publications. He was earlier the Deputy Editor of The Indian Express newspaper in India where he covered international affairs and national security.